Woodbury’s Jeff Hanson Miracle Field

Photo: Dawn Lindgren

With proud dad David looking on, Joshua Lindgren takes a base after getting a hit in a Miracle League game at Bielenberg Sports Center, near the site of the future Jeff Hanson Miracle Field.

When asked about the Woodbury Rotary Club’s latest project, Cork Wicker points to the Miracle League’s motto: Every child deserves a chance to play baseball.

“They all need a chance,” says Wicker, the club’s president. “Once you see a smile on their face when they [play Miracle League baseball], it leaves a positive, unmistakable impression on you forever, because it’s something that can’t be duplicated.”

Children with physical or cognitive disabilities who live in Woodbury and surrounding communities could be taking their turn at bat in Miracle League baseball by this summer. Construction is slated to begin this spring on the Jeff Hanson Miracle Field located at the Bielenberg Sports Center complex, with a targeted opening date of July 1.

In preparation for the new field, the East Metro Miracle League was formed in early 2011. Plans are underway to begin active play in July, with a full schedule by next summer, says Michelle Okada, recreation specialist for the city of Woodbury.

Miracle Fields are distinguished by their cushioned, synthetic surfaces (often consisting of recycled tires), which provide accessibility for wheelchair users and individuals with physical limitations. The cushioned playing surface allows for good drainage and is entirely flat to eliminate any barriers for the players, and dugouts are accessible.

Woodbury’s future Miracle Field is named in memory of Jeff Hanson, a former Woodbury resident, state representative and executive director of the Minnesota Utilities Contractors Association who passed away in 2006. The project is a combined effort of the Woodbury Rotary Club, the Miracle League of Minnesota, the city of Woodbury and members of the Minnesota Utilities Contractors Association, who are donating the labor for the project.

The idea of building an accessible baseball field resonated with Woodbury Rotary Club community service director Alan Henaman, who learned about Miracle Fields while talking with a Jodi Sauro, Supervisor of the Parks and Recreation department.  The Minnesota Utility Contractors Association, in conjunction with the Miracle League of Minnesota, had also recently contacted the city with the same idea. The plans were well-received by the Rotary Club, so Henaman attended the first planning meeting called by Sauro and the club got to work on fundraising.

Plans for the field were incorporated into the East Ridge High School/Bielenberg Sports Center expansion project, and the field site, owned by the city of Woodbury, was graded during the construction of the high school to align with existing trails.

With construction costs estimated at $250,000, the Woodbury Rotary Club established a target of raising $130,000 toward materials for the project, launching their fundraising efforts in 2007.

Henaman says the recession has been one of their greatest challenges. The club undertook a wide variety of fundraising projects, from selling glow necklaces on the Fourth of July at Ojibway Park to running the beer tent at Woodbury Days to holding an annual Miracle Gala. In addition, several foundations and a number of businesses, organizations and individuals have contributed funds toward the project, including the Minnesota Twins.

The project also benefitted from the help of Jeff Hanson’s son, Adam Hanson, a bat boy for the Minnesota Twins, who obtained donated bats signed by the players for auction at the Miracle Gala. And Galen Britz celebrated his 70th birthday by playing 72 holes of nonstop golf to raise funds for the field as part of a challenge at King of Kings Lutheran Church.

Despite the challenges, Henaman finds it personally rewarding to help provide a Miracle Field for children who would not have the opportunity to play outdoor baseball otherwise. “You go to a game and see them playing outside—it is very moving,” says Henaman.

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For more information about the East Metro Miracle League and how to volunteer, contact the league at emml@ci.woodbury.mn.us.

Madison’s Place

Whenever Dana Millington brought her three children to the playground, including her daughter, Madison, who had Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), she faced a difficult choice: leave her young children alone on the playset while she stayed with Madison, or help her children and leave Madison on the sidelines.

“It’s a choice a parent shouldn’t have to make,” says Millington, who founded The Madison Claire Foundation in 2005. The foundation is currently raising funds for a 16,000 square-foot inclusive playground, to be located at the Bielenberg Sports Center. In addition, Millington is looking for a company to donate concrete for the project.

Called Madison’s Place in memory of her daughter, Madison Claire, who passed away in 2004 at age 2, the boundless playground will feature rubberized tiles and a play structure ramped from both sides. It also will include freestanding, accessible activities, accessible swings, and a metal slide to prevent feedback for children with hearing aids and cochlear implants.

The goal is to begin construction by 2012, at an estimated cost of $688,600.

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